OKLAHOMA CITY - At first glance it appeared a bill approved by Gov. Kevin Stitt on Friday, Senate Bill 1200, would finally put an end to switc hing the clocks back and forth an hour each spring and fall. Unfortunately, Oklahoma, it’s not time yet.
The summary title of the measure, authored by Sen. Blake Stephens (R-Tahlequah), states that the bill would enable Oklahoma to adopt Daylight Saving Time as the year-round time. However, the opening statement of the bill text begins with the word “if ” and makes clear that the me asure is based on w hat the federal government wants to do.
“If a federal law is passed that authorizes states to o bserve Daylight Saving Time year-round, this state shall adopt Daylight Saving Time as the year-round standard of time for the entire state and all its po litical subdivisions … This act shall take effect upon the enactment of a f ederal law that permits states to enter upon and permanently observe Daylight Saving Time.”
Actually, by federal law cited at the U .S. Department of Transportation website under the Uniform Time Act, individual states do not have the authority to choose to be on perma nent Daylight Saving Time. They can choose not to observe it through state law like Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii, but can’t choose to permanently observe it.
It really all has to do with transportation, which is why the U.S. DOT is the r egulator of the c locks. Railroads needing to run on an established time schedule brought about the standardization known tod ay. Prior to 1883, U.S. and Canadian railroads sought to reduce the confusion resulting from some 100 con flicting locally established “sun times” observed, according to the DOT website. Federal oversight of time zones began over 100 years ago in 1918 with the enactmen t of the S tandard Time Act.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 states that either Congress or the Secretary of Transportation can change a time zone bo undary - but DOT does not have the power to repeal or change Daylight Saving Time. That’s up to Congr ess and, although debated for years, no change seems to be in sig ht.
However, if that bill lingering in a f ederal committee makes its way into law, Oklahoma will be r eady. In the meantime, be prepared to “ fall back” to standard time in November.